Here's the quote from magazine: You can tell how aware the competitors are in this category by how close all the base prices match up. Current technology upgrades have allowed Toyota and GM to save cost (yet not lose performance) by moving back to smarter durm brakes. Our guess is others will follow. In the meantime, GM's combination of a comfortable ride plus a suspension and frame that don't mind getting pushed to their payload and GVW limits had our judges leaning toward it rather than some of the newer entries in the segment."

Finally, a magazine that doesn't care to pick the best truck in the segment, and not the newest.
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That's hilarious that they say that about the GM drum brake thing since the criticized Dodge for putting drums on the Dakota. Wow. And since when is the Xterra a compact SUV? I think of front-wheel drivers when I think of Compact SUV's.

Well, GM got critized when they announced they were going back to drum brakes for 05 on the 1/2-ton trucks. However, I think they actually out-stop the 99-04 trucks with four wheel disc. I dont see the problem really. My truck is 13 years old, has 133,xxx miles and I've never even had to put brake shoes on the back, lol. Still got the same drums as well.

And also, I think its only the regular and extended cabs that go back to drum brakes, becuase the crew-cab trucks have different brake rotors and calipers (bigger) then regular and extended cab trucks.
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its kind of weird. they only leave break dust on the fronts. and the rear disks on the 62k mile expedition have not been changed. actually, i need to see that. its kind of weird but we havent changed the pads either.

Better check them then. But honestly, in a truck, the front brakes account for something like 75% of the stopping power or something like that. So there's not alot of wear/tear on the rear discs.

But like me and Dodgeman say, there is not one thing wrong with drum brakes on the back of a truck, or even a car for that matter. And the only thing people complain about is not seeing that pretty rotor back their with its big brake caliper, lol.

I say stick with what works, and drum brakes work fine for the rear end. Shoot, my racecar has got drum brakes on the front (oddly enough, its got disc brakes on the back, lol) and I have no trouble at all stopping it, lol.
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Well, you see, it has like a 65 or 66 Corvair front suspension, so that's why it has drum brakes up front. Now I'm assuming when it was built (my uncle and another person built it, but I was too young to really know much about it then) that he (my uncle) either orderd a kit to get disc brakes on the back, or the narrowed rear end came with them or something, lol. But either way, I know for a fact it has discs on the back and drums on the front, lol.

And it has really good brakes. However, I would like to upgrade to front discs sometime. I just hate to do that becuase it really doesn't need them, and they cost like over $500 for a kit. His new Vega has disc brakes on the front and drums on the back, and he says mine has better brakes, lol. I dont know becuaes I've never drove the new car.
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well, at least they will last longer with your current setup. i think the reason sports car have discs is because you can get so much stopping power out of them and then upgrade them. you can go from solid to drilled to vented and drilled.

That and disc brakes are really easy to service (although you have to service them more then drums, but honestly, drums will cost more to replace then disc, but again, you dont have to service them very often).

Also, you will have a better brake pedal feel with drum brakes (becuase you can adjust them up). And I know 99-04 GM trucks get blasted because of a "mushy" brake pedal, and honestly, there is a problem on SOME trucks (they wear out the right rear inside brake pad very fast), BUT most of the people that bought these trucks came out of a pre-98 GM truck with rear drums, and like I said, with drum brakes, you get a better brake peddle then with discs. So while I'll concede GM has a problem with its 99-04 rear disc brake systems, alot of that "problem" is the consumer being used to the rear drums on the older trucks.

For example, I can drive my Papaw's or Uncle's truck, and almost get scared when I first hit the brakes becuase they go down alot further then what mine do. Now they niether have any trouble stopping, but they just dont have that good peddle "feel" like you get with drums.

Naturally, the owner of the 99-04 truck will complain that their brand new truck don't have any brakes, when in reality, it does. Then they'll try and pump them up and that will just reek havock on the ABS system, lol.
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lol. That's why you don't put 18s on Civics. For one, they look like crap, and two, it kills the braking performance!

Anyways, lol, I think people that complain about seeing a drum brake system behind a wheel should be classified as ricers, lol. "SHIOT DAWWGGG, I JUST BOUGHT SOME MAD WICKED BRAKE CALIPER SPRAY PAINT FROM AUTO ZONE HOMIE....", lolol.
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